Chilling at the cottage in Saskatchewan

After awhile, even the most interesting video can get a little stale, I suppose. So my apologies to those of you who've been tuning in to get a new Daily Upload but keep seeing that guy sailing out over the mountain.

I've been taking a break from blogging while I'm out here in Regina for a few days. I had planned to write about the drive out here from Hamilton, but a lack of Internet access along the way scuttled that plan. And for the past few days, I've been enjoying life here at the cottage at Buena Vista so much I just didn't bother to Update the Upload.

But I'll be back in Hamilton in a few days and regular blogging will return next week. Until then, here's a brief update on the reason I'm out here now.

I drove to Saskatchewan with my brother and his son last week. We were on our way to the 50th anniversary celebrations for Sheldon Williams Collegiate, the high school that we both attended here in Regina. If you've ever gone to a high school reunion, you'll know how much fun they are. And if you haven't gone back to your's I recommend it.

Attending a reunion is getting together with hundreds of people you have little in common with except everything. After all, you haven't needed to keep up over the years and things have worked out fine. But there was something very special about those high school years and it's astounding how important they were in shaping the people we all became.

Of course, the best thing about the weekend is that all of the other 800 or so alumni that were there (spanning most of the entire 50 years of history) were there because they wanted to rekindle the old memories. None of us were dragged out against our will, so we were all motivated to chat, revisit old friendships and embrace everyone we met, even if we couldn't stand each other in high school. It's amazing how a few years will put to rest even the most bitterest memories.

The organizers of the event went all out to provide ideal conditions, especially the Saturday session at Sheldon, where we all toured our old haunts, visited the classrooms, played in the gym and admired how much more civilized the washrooms had become over the years. But most of all, we admired each other. It's amazing how the characters that developed during our high school years have shaped the rest of our lives. I recognized virtually everyone I met, despite the 31 years that have passed since I last saw them.

Now I'm left with a lot more good memories and a few new email addresses that I may or may not follow up on. But I know that I'm looking forward to the next big get together in 10 years. I'll be back.